last week was not the win, was not the money, was not the fact even that they were going to

Erika Brown remembers very little about her first Olympics. After all, it was 25 years ago -- and she was only 15. "I remember the opening ceremony, marching, bits and pieces of the competition," Brown said of her time at the 1988 Calgary Games, "but not a heck of a lot, actually." Now 40, Brown has earned the chance to relive the Olympic experience. On Saturday, she was skip of the rink that swept the playoffs in the U.S. curling trials in Fargo, N.D., to claim a place at the Sochi Olympics in Russia. "Twenty-five years later is bit hard to swallow," Brown told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "I can barely believe I have been alive that long." Brown, who also represented her country at 1998 Nagano Games, said this will be her last Olympics. But for a fierce competitor with curling in her blood, somehow its hard to believe her. Her parents, Steve and Diane, both curled for the U.S. and own a big curling store in Madison, Wis. Steve, who coached Erika at the 1988 and 1998 Games, will coach the U.S. wheelchair team in Sochi. Even Erikas younger brother, Craig, is into curling and competed at the mens trials in Fargo. "Its been a family thing since we were little kids," Erika said. "My mum wasnt sure what to do after I was born, so she took me to watch my dad curl when I was 7 days old. Id probably had only two trips to the doctor by then." Brown has managed to maintain her motivation and desire to practice curling despite having a day job as a physicians assistant in Ontario, where her patients range from newborns to 90-year-olds, and being a mother of two. If she wraps up her morning appointments, she tries to squeeze in about 30 minutes of curling during her lunch hour at a curling club a short distance from work. That will change in the run-up to Sochi. "I am going to be taking a leave of absence from work, probably in January," Brown said. "That should allow me to have more relaxed practices, where I can be a little more deliberate and take my time." Brown certainly didnt appear underprepared in Fargo last week, clinching victory over Allison Pottingers team at the Scheels Arena with a draw into the four-foot with the final stone of the game. Her teammates -- Debbie McCormick, Jessica Schultz and Ann Swisshelm -- are all former Olympians and Browns rink should contend for a medal in Sochi. "We just found a great combination with this team about three years ago when we got together. Our goal was to make it back to the Olympics and we have," Brown said. "I think anyone who has been to the Olympics once has some pretty built-in motivation to go back. Its such a privileged experience to be part of Team USA, wearing your nation on your back. That experience alone has been a pretty big motivator for the past 25 years." When Brown took time away from school to compete in Calgary, curling was only a demonstration sport. It was again in 1992 before returning to the Olympic program in Nagano. The U.S. rink didnt get past the round-robin stage then, and an Olympic medal remains the thing missing from Browns resume that includes world and national titles. "Olympic gold?" Brown said. "That would be a pretty sweet one of sew it all up with." Cheap Cleveland Browns Jerseys Online . Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes, the bandleader of the beard brigade during Bostons run to the 2013 World Series title, said he will be shaving his off before spring training so that he can file it "in the archive" with his memories of the teams improbable championship. Discount Cleveland Browns Jerseys .m. ET, CBSOPENING LINE — Colts by 5RECORD VS. SPREAD — Cincinnati 8-8, Indianapolis 11-5SERIES RECORD — Colts lead 18-10LAST MEETING — Colts beat Bengals 27-0, Oct. http://www.cheapbrowns.com/. Granato was an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins for the last five seasons, and he was also part of Team USAs staff at the 2014 Olympics. Authentic Cleveland Browns Jerseys . - Mike Magee converted two penalty kicks in a 10-minute span of the first half and the Chicago Fire beat Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday. Wholesale Cleveland Browns Jerseys . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.VANCOUVER - With a 1-6 record, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats were a long way from the Grey Cup in August.But the team never panicked. Head coach Kent Austin saw success ahead.When we were 1-6, our head coach, our defensive co-ordinator (Orlondo Steinauer) said, This is a Grey Cup team. It just wasnt our time yet, said sumo-sized defensive lineman Ted Laurent.Linebacker Simoni Lawrence remembers the words Austin used. Its going to be an amazing story when its all said and done. The last chapter will be written Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium when the Tiger-Cats play the powerful Calgary Stampeders.The Ticats, 45-23 losers to the hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders in last years championship game, go into the game brimming with belief.Its been a signpost of their season, no matter where they were in the standings. We knew we werent a 1-6 team, said offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski.Ive played on basket-case teams and we werent that, he added. You could look at every position group and know that we had it, that we were close. And if we just stuck with it, we were going to get it turned around.And that belief was through the organization, top to bottom, throughout the team ... no one shut it down, no one thought that this is going to be the story of our season. Everyone knew we had a team that could make a run.This team was extremely resilient inside, where its most important, said Jeff Reinebold, Hamiltons special teams co-ordinator and linebackers coach.Reinebold has seen more than a few teams in a coaching career that has stretched from Amsterdam to Las Vegas with CFL stops in B.C., Edmonton, Hamilton, Montreal and Winnipeg.Every team is unique but this team is extra-special to me, he said.They never wavered, he added. They never flinched. They never backed off their beliefs, they never pointed fingers at one another. All of the things that can happen when you dont have success in professional sports — all the Me guys take over, all the finger-pointing begins, all the blame gets spread around.This team never took part in that. And a lot of that comes from Coach Austin and his unshakable belief in his principles and then that got disseminated among the assistant coaches. And the message was always consistent.Hamilton (9-9) went on to win eight of its next 11 games and finish first in the East. Hamilton then thumped Montreal 440-24 in the East final.ddddddddddddThe thing that was most regarding after the win (over the Als) last week was not the win, was not the money, was not the fact even that they were going to go play for a championship, said Reinebold. It was the fact that they all got to stay together one more week.Because the reality of it is in this business when a season ends, whether it ends at the end of the regular season or after a championship game, that team will never be the same again. Never will all those coaches, all those players, all those personalities be together one more time. There are always transitions, particularly in pro sports today.This team has blessed itself because it competed so hard last week against Montreal, with the opportunity to experience this and to be together as brothers one more week. Thats fantastic. On Friday, the Ticats showed that by ending practice in a huddle that turned into a gyrating, dancing and chanting mass of bodies.We love each other, said Dyakowski. Weve got a fantastic team, a great locker-room. This is a squad where every guy on it plays for each other. We dont have anyone whos in it for themselves. Were all in it together and it shows.Hamilton is still standing — and grooving — after a season that saw quarterback Zach Collaros miss five games with concussion-like symptoms (the team went 1-4 without him). The players also had to wait for Tim Hortons Field to finally open before reeling off seven straight wins at home to get here.You cant get those games back, Austin said of the early-season losses. But what you can do is learn from those games in such a way that the next time you take the field, youre better. Youre better for that experience. And then just stay the course.We have a great staff of guys that are completely authentic in that approach. And the players trust that. While the Ticats are the feel-good story, the Stampeders (15-3) are 7 1/2-point favourites to spoil their happy ending.Austin, like his players, relishes the challenge.We tell the guys all the time if it was easy, it wouldnt mean as much.Notes: Austin says receiver Andy Fantuz has looked good this week after seeing limited action last weekend upon his return from a hamstring issue. Hes running better this week. I think theres a noticeable difference.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. 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